trains

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We are only a few short days past Christmas, and the new toy smell still lingers in the air. Santa brought Brantley some cool things this year; a bike with no pedals, a pirate ship with a spring-action alligator, a big blue car with a trunk, and a 4′ train set. I was confident the bike would be the big hit this season. It was all Brantley talked about for months. However, my son’s favorite gift turned out to be his train set.

A large wooden table sets the scene for a busy wooden city comprised of a train station, high arching bridge, train wash and gas station, sleep house, and a loading dock. Cookie-cutter trees line the faux roads, and two-dimensional people smile and wave reminiscent of 1950’s paper cut-outs.

Brantley has spent hours in his playroom steering his trains along the winding tracks, stopping along the way to move an unwanted lamp or street sign. Where – in his mind – are the trains going? When Brantley pretends we typically go to New York City, California, South America, or end up in a Hawaiian volcano. “Choo, Choo! All Aboard! We’re going to the North Pole, of course!” was heard from the far side of the house. Even though the sign at the train station reads ‘New York’ it seems we will be staying in Christmas-land for a little while longer.

Christmas magic certainly visited our house this year. There is nothing quite like experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a child; the excitement, the uncensored honesty (2-year-old kids are not excited about clothes), and the never-ending imagination.

This afternoon, as Brantley napped, I crept into his playroom and checked out the killer train set. I asked myself, “where would I go?” Within moments I knew the answer and cataloged the train-tastic adventure to memory – under ‘one day.’

For now I’ll settle for the North Pole or New York City. I’d take the train anywhere with Brantley.